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It’s a day that Acton residents never thought would come.
After 165 years of putting the town on the map and making it ‘worth the drive to Acton,’ the (Olde) Hide House announced today that it will be closing its doors.
Danbury Global Ltd. & A.D. Hennick & Associates Inc. will be liquidating $5 million of inventory through an in-store sale beginning this Friday at 10 a.m.
"The Hide House has been a staple of premium quality leather goods for decades. It's a great opportunity to stop in one last time and buy something that can be passed on for generations," said Alex Hennick, President of A.D. Hennick & Associates.
A press release from Danbury Global says, “For various factors, the Hide House has made the difficult decision to shut their doors.”
“The staff and ownership are looking forward to seeing both old and new faces one last time as they thank their customers with significant savings.”
The (Olde) Hide House started as a warehouse for leather goods and officially opened its doors to the public in 1980.
With the famous, 'It’s worth the drive to Acton' radio ad attracting attention from far and wide, it’s estimated that the store brought 300,000 people to town each year.
The liquidation sale will include household furnishings, men's and ladies' jackets, handbags, gloves, wallets, hats, belts, slippers and more.
After 165 years of putting the town on the map and making it ‘worth the drive to Acton,’ the (Olde) Hide House announced today that it will be closing its doors.
Danbury Global Ltd. & A.D. Hennick & Associates Inc. will be liquidating $5 million of inventory through an in-store sale beginning this Friday at 10 a.m.
"The Hide House has been a staple of premium quality leather goods for decades. It's a great opportunity to stop in one last time and buy something that can be passed on for generations," said Alex Hennick, President of A.D. Hennick & Associates.
A press release from Danbury Global says, “For various factors, the Hide House has made the difficult decision to shut their doors.”
“The staff and ownership are looking forward to seeing both old and new faces one last time as they thank their customers with significant savings.”
The (Olde) Hide House started as a warehouse for leather goods and officially opened its doors to the public in 1980.
With the famous, 'It’s worth the drive to Acton' radio ad attracting attention from far and wide, it’s estimated that the store brought 300,000 people to town each year.
The liquidation sale will include household furnishings, men's and ladies' jackets, handbags, gloves, wallets, hats, belts, slippers and more.
Reflecting on the announcement from the owners of the Olde Hide House, Mayor Ann Lawlor said, “The closure of this iconic landmark will leave a hole in our community”.
Taking the name from its leather tannery origins of the 1800s, the Olde Hide House was a family-owned business. Local business partners converted part of a massive old leather tanning factory into a retail leather outlet selling furniture and clothing.
The original warehouse was built in 1899 by the Beardmore Company. It became the largest tannery in the British Empire and a major employer in the Town of Acton.
In the 1980s, catchy radio and television commercials established the leather store as a day trip destination and put the community on the map. “It’s worth the drive to Acton” was a familiar refrain.
“The Hide House, and prior to that, the Beardmore Tannery, became synonymous with Acton,” said the mayor. “Its long-standing nickname is Leathertown and our local BIA stages a Leathertown festival every summer, so, it is still worth the drive to Acton.”
The building located at 49 Eastern Avenue has a heritage designation, which recognizes it as the only example of a late-19th century Victorian industrial warehouse in Halton Hills.
"While the activity in the building may change, the designation ensures that the history of the Hide House and the Beardmore Tannery will live on."
Taking the name from its leather tannery origins of the 1800s, the Olde Hide House was a family-owned business. Local business partners converted part of a massive old leather tanning factory into a retail leather outlet selling furniture and clothing.
The original warehouse was built in 1899 by the Beardmore Company. It became the largest tannery in the British Empire and a major employer in the Town of Acton.
In the 1980s, catchy radio and television commercials established the leather store as a day trip destination and put the community on the map. “It’s worth the drive to Acton” was a familiar refrain.
“The Hide House, and prior to that, the Beardmore Tannery, became synonymous with Acton,” said the mayor. “Its long-standing nickname is Leathertown and our local BIA stages a Leathertown festival every summer, so, it is still worth the drive to Acton.”
The building located at 49 Eastern Avenue has a heritage designation, which recognizes it as the only example of a late-19th century Victorian industrial warehouse in Halton Hills.
"While the activity in the building may change, the designation ensures that the history of the Hide House and the Beardmore Tannery will live on."
Elizabeth McHugh has one request.
“Don’t make me cry,” she says.
For 33 years, McHugh has been greeting customers at The Hide House with a smile. She loved meeting them, both local residents and those who travelled an hour or more to shop at the store.
“There was never a day I didn’t want to come to work,” she said.
McHugh is still smiling, but with the appearance of someone putting on a brave face after employees were told this week that the store will be closing following a liquidation sale over the coming weeks.
“We kind of had a gut feeling,” the Acton resident said. “But you do what you can for the place. It’s really the end of an era. It’s hard for the staff, but it’s really going to hurt the town.”
Mention the name Acton to almost anyone in Ontario and you will inevitably be asked, ‘Is it worth the drive?’
Steve Dawkins, whose family owned the store, created the advertising slogan ‘It’s worth the drive to Acton’ that put the town on the map in the 1980s. At its peak, it was estimated that The Olde Hide House, as it was originally known, drew 300,000 people to town every year.
“It feels kind of sad that it’s closing,” said Kathy Burnett of Guelph, who has been buying coats at The Hide House for almost 30 years. “It’s been such a well-known institution through the years.”
There was a sentimental attachment for many of the shoppers on Friday, the first day of the liquidation sale.
Rockwood’s Tom Koperdraad has been coming to The Hide House for 40 years and remembers the days when it was more than just a clothing and furniture store.
“We used to come here for the restaurant,” he said. “We would have family get-togethers here every year for Easter.”
“The response has been overwhelming. Everyone has a history,” said Alex Hennick of A.D. Hennick & Associates, which is working with owner Danbury Global Ltd. on liquidating the inventory. “It’s a great opportunity to get premium quality items that just aren’t available any more. And it’s a chance for people who want to come in one last time.”
Within half an hour of opening Friday, there were already 30 people in line at the cash register, with dozens more browsing through coats and couches. Hennick said the store will remain open until the $5 million worth of inventory is sold.
McHugh said longtime customers have been coming in since the announcement to get multiples of favourite items like specific brands of gloves and slippers that aren’t available elsewhere.
However, Hennick said less demand for leather products as younger consumers shift to other alternatives played a role in the closure.
Barb Carscadden, who lived just outside of Acton and now lives in Rockwood, has been shopping at The Hide House for 30 years. She said even though the store has been getting smaller over the years, it still came as somewhat of a surprise.
“It is disappointing. It was one of the reasons people came to Acton,” she said, remembering that there used to be a play area for children. “It was a fun place to visit. It was an outing when you came here.”
McHugh said when the Dawkins family owned the store, employees felt like part of their family.
The store also strove to integrate itself into the town, with historical displays about the tanning industry that served as Acton's foundation and others honouring local veterans and their service in the war.
McHugh has fond memories of the store’s heyday.
“You could stand at the top of the stairs and look and it was wall to wall people, just a sea of people. And it’s not going to be here anymore,” she said. “It’s going to be heartbreaking to see it sitting here empty.”
“Don’t make me cry,” she says.
For 33 years, McHugh has been greeting customers at The Hide House with a smile. She loved meeting them, both local residents and those who travelled an hour or more to shop at the store.
“There was never a day I didn’t want to come to work,” she said.
McHugh is still smiling, but with the appearance of someone putting on a brave face after employees were told this week that the store will be closing following a liquidation sale over the coming weeks.
“We kind of had a gut feeling,” the Acton resident said. “But you do what you can for the place. It’s really the end of an era. It’s hard for the staff, but it’s really going to hurt the town.”
Mention the name Acton to almost anyone in Ontario and you will inevitably be asked, ‘Is it worth the drive?’
Steve Dawkins, whose family owned the store, created the advertising slogan ‘It’s worth the drive to Acton’ that put the town on the map in the 1980s. At its peak, it was estimated that The Olde Hide House, as it was originally known, drew 300,000 people to town every year.
“It feels kind of sad that it’s closing,” said Kathy Burnett of Guelph, who has been buying coats at The Hide House for almost 30 years. “It’s been such a well-known institution through the years.”
There was a sentimental attachment for many of the shoppers on Friday, the first day of the liquidation sale.
Rockwood’s Tom Koperdraad has been coming to The Hide House for 40 years and remembers the days when it was more than just a clothing and furniture store.
“We used to come here for the restaurant,” he said. “We would have family get-togethers here every year for Easter.”
“The response has been overwhelming. Everyone has a history,” said Alex Hennick of A.D. Hennick & Associates, which is working with owner Danbury Global Ltd. on liquidating the inventory. “It’s a great opportunity to get premium quality items that just aren’t available any more. And it’s a chance for people who want to come in one last time.”
Within half an hour of opening Friday, there were already 30 people in line at the cash register, with dozens more browsing through coats and couches. Hennick said the store will remain open until the $5 million worth of inventory is sold.
McHugh said longtime customers have been coming in since the announcement to get multiples of favourite items like specific brands of gloves and slippers that aren’t available elsewhere.
However, Hennick said less demand for leather products as younger consumers shift to other alternatives played a role in the closure.
Barb Carscadden, who lived just outside of Acton and now lives in Rockwood, has been shopping at The Hide House for 30 years. She said even though the store has been getting smaller over the years, it still came as somewhat of a surprise.
“It is disappointing. It was one of the reasons people came to Acton,” she said, remembering that there used to be a play area for children. “It was a fun place to visit. It was an outing when you came here.”
McHugh said when the Dawkins family owned the store, employees felt like part of their family.
The store also strove to integrate itself into the town, with historical displays about the tanning industry that served as Acton's foundation and others honouring local veterans and their service in the war.
McHugh has fond memories of the store’s heyday.
“You could stand at the top of the stairs and look and it was wall to wall people, just a sea of people. And it’s not going to be here anymore,” she said. “It’s going to be heartbreaking to see it sitting here empty.”
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